An overview and Theories of personality

 Personality assessment is the measurement of personal characteristics. Assessment is an end result of gathering information intended to advance psychological theory and research and to increase the probability that wise decisions will be made in applied settings (e.g., in selecting the most promising people from a group of job applicants). The approach taken by the specialist in personality assessment is based on the assumption that much of the observable variability in behaviour from one person to another result from differences in the extent to which individuals possess particular underlying personal characteristics (traits). The assessment specialist seeks to define these traits, to measure them objectively, and to relate them to socially significant aspects of behaviour 

 Personality refers to the enduring configuration of characteristics and behavior that comprises an individual’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns. Personality is generally viewed as a complex, dynamic integration or totality shaped by many forces, including hereditary and constitutional tendencies; physical maturation; early training; identification with significant individuals and groups; culturally conditioned values and roles; and critical experiences and relationships. Various theories explain the structure and development of personality in different ways, but all agree that personality helps determine behaviour.

 All personality theories stress the importance of experiences, particularly childhood experiences, in shaping and influencing personality. They differ, of course, in the precise dynamics of how experiences contribute to personality development and change. Whereas the effects of experience take center stage in personality theories, physiological factors are normally given only a secondary role. Though some theories mention heredity and other biological factors (Eysenck’s theory in particular), the classic theories have mostly ignored biological sources as contributors to personality. The personality theorist attempts to describe what all humans have in common (human nature), what some have in common, and the uniqueness of each individual (individual differences). A comprehensive explanation of personality would specify the relative importance of genetics, traits, sociocultural determinants, learning, existential humanistic considerations, unconscious mechanisms, and cognitive processes.